The discussion of the effects of smallpox, however, brings into light the fact that War and the events surrounding the War were only small part of the colonists' lives. Despite the War, the colonists had to live their daily lives and endure practical and everyday affairs such as work and disease. Fenn in her book does an excellent job of placing these factors in focus.
If there is a criticism of the book it must be in its failure to provide any new information regarding the conduct of the War itself. Although she does add smallpox to the equation she offers little beyond that fact. Like most authors, she tends to glorify the efforts of the colonists and, by doing so, fails to offer a pragmatic view of the conflict. In what could have been an interesting angle in the book Fenn briefly makes mention of the possibility that the British forces may have actually introduced smallpox into communities of colonists in an attempt to use such disease as an offensive weapon. Unfortunately, Fenn fails to build on this theory and discuss it at any length. Obviously, if this was an aspect of the British strategy it would have been an intriguing approach and offered new information relative to the conduct of the Revolutionary War. Fenn never explains whether the British actually incorporated smallpox into their military strategy
. This is a major failing in the book.
Overall, the book did a wonderful job of describing the lives of the American colonists during the Revolutionary War but, most importantly, the book reveals to a generation of Americans who have been relatively free of epidemic illnesses how disease can profoundly affect a society. Smallpox nearly single-handily destroyed the Native American cultures in America and had the potential to do the same...
Fortunately, the colonists were coy enough to discover methods for isolating the disease or the history of the entire North American continent could have been remarkably different.
The American Revolution has been examined by a number of talented writers and historians and one would think that there is nothing new to discuss but Fenn offered a new look that I found particularly intriguing and interesting. Although I believe that there was far more that could have been said and discussed, the book resulted in an interesting read that opened the door for further inquiry. On a subject such as the American Revolution, this is a difficult task but Fenn did it admirably.
Bibliography
Fenn, Elizabeth a. Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82 (New York: Hill and Wang, 2001).
Flight, Colette. "Silent Weapon: Smallpox and Biological Warfare," BBC History retrieved on March 15, 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/pox_weapon_01.shtml.
Kipple, K. Plague, Pox & Pestilence (New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1997).
Ramenofsky, Ann F. Vectors of Death: The Archaeology of European Contact" (Albuquerque, NM 1987).
Pox Americana
Fenn, Elizabeth a. Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82 (New York: Hill and Wang, 2001).
Kipple, K. Plague, Pox & Pestilence (New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1997).
Flight, Colette. "Silent Weapon: Smallpox and Biological Warfare," BBC History retrieved on March 15, 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/pox_weapon_01.shtml.
Ramenofsky, Ann F. Vectors of Death: The Archaeology of European Contact" (Albuquerque, NM 1987).
